Electrical terminal clip



NOV. 29, 1955 J STRANGE ELECTRICAL TERMINAL CLIP Filed Dec. 18. 1951 INVEN TOR. (755v Sf/FANGE zm wb A-r-r awey on form o a te mina any in the te m,

-,. had; upon itself to no 2,125,544 ELEQTRIQAL cue John Strange, Cardiff; Wales, assignor to Tinnerman Products, 'Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ppli at on. D c mbe 18; 1 51. Seria No: 262 220.

8 Claims. 1339-95 This invention relates to terminal devices and more particularly to a terminal fastener clip and assembly for electrical conductors and the like Many types of apparatus require terminal devices for securing or supporting the terminal ends of cooperating members such as cables, strands, and electrical conductors or the like. In the case of elegtrical conductors, the terminal device is required to. provide an electrical contact in addition to the terminal securing action. It is an object of this invention to provide a terminal device which will provide. the requisite electrical contact and securing action for gonductors within a wide. range of diversified sizes. This invention is also. directed to. an improved electrical terminal clip construction whichcan be simply made from a single strip of metal to permit easy insertion of a conductor and yet firmly resist removal of the conductor from the terminal device.

Briefly, in accordance with this invention, the terminal clip is formed from a strip of metal bent to, provide a base portion having a spacedoyerlying arm portion w h a a ng e ext nding downwardly a an oblique angle from adjacent the common band; towards the base portion and terminating in a free end spaced from the base portion. The common bend between the base and arm portions of the metal strip is provided with an openg wh ch nte ects an axis xte d g par lel. to th base portion th ough the ex ended end' t th tongue and th g Wh h t and o the condu or may b n er u t it i v re i ien y e a ed by e. f ee en Qf-the to gue- Th f e exten ed endso the arm n a e porti ns o e e a t p a e Pro fled w th absurd open ngs o o ch a hav pposed. te sile por io s truck the ef om to r ce and, ecu astsnia me be heret r u h. h stet as t th may as a c nnec o r an the leqt q l centimeter a d as a r aas fo so u n e era e mi al. s i s to ther thro h an n 11 2 suppo t to pre a mor bu d elsetnca t rmina as emb y:

a the dra in s his. 1 a on a ive view stuns mm at the te m a retenti new of an alternate on of th ermina s p;

3 is a haemat te ie y at per neum as embly o termina -c ips nd;

Fla 4 s a sestidntakeaa sa thel nes s intF e- 3 6 illus ra ing t mamqri ha her fmay b a s mh edeheu melamine arnest- Re er ing schislow? bs uiaes. th e s ow. in mad or m nti n, in pe t tm a s pple terrai s, fo aa an ba dage mention -an attests; t ip-i fireside ate it a rat a a s r et p" a. and T r 1 o other sting urea... d l. ont ct 1. e elect ica nclusion Th mat i it! tbii 2,725,544 Patented Nov. 29, 1955 is bent upwardly at one end to provide an abrupt shoulder portion 1 1 of substantial height and then back upon itself so as to provide an extended arm portion 12 parallel to the base portion 10. In the form illustrated, the free end of the arm portion 12 is bent downwardly to provide another abrupt shoulder 13 which is parallel with the shoulder 11 and the remaining eX-tremityIS of the arm portion 12 is bent outwardly substantially parallel with and overlying the base portion 15 The intermediate. base and arm portions between the abrupt shoulder portions 11 and 13 form a substantially rectangular space. The free extremity 15 of the arm portion 12 may lie contiguous with the free extremity of the base portion 10 or may diverge or be spaced therefrom to provide a resilient resistance against securing the two end extremities of the base and arm portions together in a manner to be herein-- .after more fully described.

Although the bending and forming operations have been first described in order to indicate the. general configuration of the terminal fastening clip, the metal strip in actual practice would first be pierced or punched to provide certain openings and cooperating bent portions. time such opening 16 would be punched through the metal strip so that it would be transversely bisected by the first initial bending operation which forms the abrupt shoulder. portion 11. The opening 16 is preferably elongated in form to extend upwardly into the shoulder portion 11 and horizontally into the base portion 10.

In like manner, a tongue 1'7 would be struck from. the intermediate arm portion in such manner that its free end would be adjacent the downwardly turned shoulder portion 13.. Thus, the tongue 17 extends from the intermediate portion of the arm 12 adjacent the upwardly turned shoulder portion 11. in a direction towardsthe end extremity 15 of the arm 12. This tongue 17 isthenjdepressed in such manner that it extends obliquely downwardly towards the base. portion it and terminates short thereof. The free extended end of the tongue 17 is preferably notched, as at 18., to, provide a pair of pointed prongs which are spaced from the base portion '10 and which straddle an axis through the vertical'portion of the opening 116 in the shoulder 1;.

In order to secure an electrical condugtor in the clip; the terminal end of the conductor'is passed through the opening 16 until it engages the free extendedend, of the tongue 17. The tongue 17 readilyyields upwardly to allowthe terminalend. of the conductor to pass between Pointed; p ongs and the bas portion 1a. Withdrawal of the conductor is prevented by the tendency of the notched end 18 of the tongue l'ito ,biteinore deeply into .theconductor against a pulling or detaching force. The conductor may, however, be readily released from the termiaa d p either by he inserti n of a suitable l ver'beneath the extended free end of the notched resilient tongue 17, or by slackening the means for fastening the terminal clip to a sppport, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

As Show in Figs. 1 and .2 of the drawings, the end eX mi O the metal ip. are provided with holes 20 which are in substantial alignment with each other when the strip has beenbent and formed in the manner hereinbefore described. In the preferred form shown in Fig. 1', the free extremity 5 Df vthe arm 12 is formed by s ri in opposed o gues 21 and 22 om e strip material for threadingly engaging the shan'k or" a bolt or the. like or fo en a g an unthreaded shank of a stud or r vet ei he of wh ch may b passed through the aligned openings 29 to. secure the end extremities of the arm and base portions together or to secure the clip to a sui ab suppor In the alternate form illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, freeextrernity 15, of the arm 12 does not have integral opposed tongue portions, struclctherefrom andfthe holes 20, in the arm and base portions, cooperate to receive the shank of a fastener, such as the bolt 23 which is secured by a nut 24. In either form, the fastening mem bers extending through the aligned holes in the end extremities of the arm and base portions may be utilized as electrical connectors and for securing the terminal clip to an electrical accessory which, for exemplary purposes, may be an insulated terminal block, a main busbar, or electrical fixture, one form of which is shown in the assembly illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings illustrate an application of the terminal clips when secured on opposite sides of an insulating terminal block 25. Pairs of terminal clips may be secured in opposed recesses 26 in the insulating block by means of a bolt, rivet or other fastening member extending through the block 25 and through aligned holes 20 in the end extremities of the arm and base portions of each pair of terminals. in the assembly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the terminal block 25 with its terminal clips may be readily utilized as a female electrical receptacle for receiving the terminal ends of a male plug.

As previously indicated, the end extremity 15 of the arm portion 12 may be spaced or may diverge from the end extremity of the base portion 10 so that when the end extremities of the base and arm portions are secured together by means of some fastening member they will tend to depress the tongue 17 downwardly against the terminal end of a conductor extending through the opening 16. It is readily apparent that slackening or releasing of the fastening means extending through the end extremities of the arm and base portions will also tend to release the tongue 17 from retaining engagement with the terminal end of the conductor, thus enabling the conductor to be readily withdrawn from the terminal clip. The spacing between the end extremities of the arm and base portion may be varied in such manner as to accept a main bus-bar or the like therebetween and, in such an instance, the bus-bar would be drilled or pierced for the passage therethrough of a threaded or unthreaded fastening member.

The improved terminal fastener clip of this invention is readily and simply constructed from strip material by simple piercing, forming and bending operations with a minimum waste of material to provide a clip which readily accepts the terminal end of a single or multi stranded conductor and establishes a good electrical contact therewith while resisting removal of the conductor therefrom untilthe'resilient retaining tongue is released. The configuration of the terminal clip is such that it may readily be mounted with other like or unlike terminal devices in any desired manner to form a compound electrical terminal assembly.

'While I have shown and described what I consider to be a preferred form of my invention along with suggestions of modified forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other changes and modifications, particularly with respect to the detailed configuration of the end terminal clip and its assembly, may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A terminal fastener comprising a strip of semi-rigid material having one end portion bent back towards the other end portion and overlying said other end portion in spaced relation therefrom, said overlying end portion having a tongue portion with a free extremity extending downwardly from adjacent the common bend at an oblique angle into the space between andtowards the end portions, means on the free-extremity of said tongue portion adapted for coaction with said other end portion to clamp a conductor against removal therefrom, said strip having an opening through the common bend interselecting an axis through the extended end of said tongue portion for receiving and guiding a conductor into-clamping position, and means for clamping the extremities of each end portion together.

2. A terminal fastener comprising a strip of semirigid material having one end portion bent back towards and overlying the other. end portion in spaced relation therefrom, said overlying end portion having a tongue portion with a free extremity extending from adjacent the common bend at an oblique angle into the space between and towards the end portions, means on the free-extremity of said tongue portion adapted for coaction with said other end portion to clamp a conductor against removal therefrom, said strip having an opening through the common bend intersecting an axis extended through the free end of said tongue portion for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, said lower end portion having a hole through its free extremity, and the free extremity of said overlying end portion having opposed tongues extending upwardly at oblique angles and forming an opening between adjacent tongue extremities in substantial alignment with the opening in said lower end portion whereby a connector may be threaded through the hole and opening of each end portion respectively to clamp them together at their extremities.

3. A terminal clip comprising a metal strip having one end portion bent back and overlying the other end portion and in parallel spaced relation therefrom, said one end portion of the strip having a tongue portion extending downwardly at an oblique angle towards the other end portion of the strip and terminating in a free end spaced therefrom, means on the free-extremity of said tongue portion adapted for coaction with said other end portion to clamp a conductor against removal therefrom, said metal strip having an opening through the common bend between the two end portions intersecting an axis through the extended end of said tongue and parallel with said other end portion for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, and said strip having aligned openings through each end extremity for receiving a fastening member in clamping relation therethrough.

4. A terminal clip comprising a metal strip having one end portion bent back overlying the other end portion with its extremity substantially parallel with the other end extremity and forming a space intermediate the common bend and each end extremity, said one end portion of the strip having a tongue portion extending downwardly at an oblique angle from adjacent the common bend into the space between the end portions and terminating in a free end spaced from the;other end portion, the free extended end of said tongue portion having a notch forming a pair of projected prongs adapted to coact with the other end extremity to clamp the conductor against removal therefrom, said metal strip having an opening through the common bend on an axis parallel with the end portions and intersecting the notched extremity of said tongue for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, and said strip having an aligned opening through each end extremity for receiving a fastening member in clamping relation therethrough.

5. A terminal clip comprising a metal strip having one end portion bent upwardly and then across parallel with and overlying the other end portion to form a space therebetween said parallel overlying portion of the strip having a tongue extending downwardly from adjacent the I upward portion at an oblique angle into the space and terminating in a free end, means on the free-extremity of said tongue portion adapted for coaction with said I other end portion to clamp a conductor against removal therefrom, said metal strip having an opening through the common upward bend between the end portions intersecting an axis extending through the free end of said tongue and parallel with the end portions for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, and each end portion having means at their extremity for receiving a fastening member to clamp them together against a support.

6. A terminal clip comprising a metal strip having one end forming a base portion and the other end bent upwardly and back parallel with said base portion to form an arm in overlying spaced relation from said base portion, said arm having a tongue extending downwardly from adjacent the upwardly bent portion at an oblique angle towards the base portion and terminating in a free end spaced therefrom, means on the free extremity of the said tongue portion adapted for action with the base portion to clamp the conductor against removal therefrom, said metal strip having an opening through the common bend between the base and arm portions intersecting an axis extending parallel with said base portion through the free extended end of said tongue for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, and said arm and base portions each having aligned openings through their free extremities for receiving a fastening member therethrough.

7. A terminal fastener clip comprising a metal strip having a base portion with one free end extremity, the other end of said base portion bent upwardly and then back to form an upward shoulder having an arm overlying said base portion and in spaced relation therefrom, said overlying arm being bent downwardly toward the base portion to form a downward shoulder in spaced relation along the base portion from the upward shoulder, the free end extremity of said arm being bent outwardly from the downward shoulder substantially parallel with the base portion and overlying the free end extremity of said base portion, the arm portion intermediate the upward and downward shoulders having an integral tongue portion extending from adjacent the upward shoulder downwardly at an oblique angle towards the base portion and terminating at a free end short of the base portion, the free extended end of said tongue portion having a notch therein forming a pair of spaced prongs adapted to coact with the other end extremity to clamp the conductor against removal therefrom, said metal strip having an opening through the common bend between the base portion and the upward shoulder, a portion of the opening extending into the upward shoulder and intersecting an axis parallel with the base portion and through the notched end of said tongue portion for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, the free end extremities of the base and arm portions having aligned openings for receiving a fastening member therethrough.

8. A terminal clip assembly comprising a block of insulating material having opposed recesses in opposite faces thereof, said block having an opening extending therethrough between the opposed recesses, a terminal clip disposed in each recess, each terminal clip compris ing a metal strip having one end forming a base portion seated in the corresponding recess and having the other end bent to overlie the base portion in spaced relation therefrom for receiving and guiding a conductor into clamping position, the overlying arm portion of each clip having a tongue portion freely extending from adjacent the common bend downwardly in an oblique angle into the space between the arm and base portions, means on the free extremity of the said tongue portion adapted for action with the base portion to clamp the conductor against removal therefrom, each strip having an opening through the common bend intersecting an axis extended through the free end of the tongue portion, the end extremities of the base and arm portions each having an opening therethrough aligned with the opening through the insulating block, and a fastening member extending through the aligned openings in the block and in the end extremities of the metal strip to secure the clips in opposed relation about the insulated block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,564,761 Daiker Dec. 8, 1925 2,175,251 Carson Oct. 10, 1939 2,315,823 Smith Apr. 6, 1943 2,423,627 Tinnerman July 8, 1947 2,495,279 OBrien et al. Jan. 24, 1950 2,514,336 Paige July 4, 1950 2,609,416 Cousins Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 216,289 Great Britain May 29, 1924 

